Iroquois Area Business Association

Olmsted''s Iroquois Park and Southern Parkway

Iroquois Park and Southern Parkway

What we individually think the Parkway and Park is, is not necessarily what it is. It is my understanding that Olmsted designed the park as a retreat from the hecticness of the city, retaining the ancient natural forest as the main stage for that process. The Parkway he designed as an avenue to the Park, but more than an avenue. If you study his work and his writings, you will find the undulation and gentle curves are all part of the design that he built in, in order to give the feel of a natural passageway, winding along a rolling countryside, His belief was that the natural landscape had a healing property. As a man who suffered from severe bouts of depression that completely diabled him, he applied his observations to his work. There must be some truth in it, since some people have declared that the Parkway relieves them and releases them as they move along it. He also took the Champs in Paris as a model, in that the various kinds of movement are seperated from each other( or were). He also incorporated the ways of the times, in that the servants, deliveries and other mundane things went to the rear, but the housholder and family , as well as guests, entered from the front. Hence the name "service road" When the horses were on the western side bridle path, parking was forbidden. Once the horses were forbidden, the auto took over. The Conservancey is compiling a list of the laws pertaining to the Parkway. This has been under way for several years and when finished, will be presented to every property owner on the Parkway. When that will happen has not yet been announced. The laws are in place. The problem is, they are not observed. The city is now in the process of restoring all the Parkways to Olmsted's original design premise. Where this will go with merger, is anybody's guess. Southern is fortunate in that it has a big jump on the process, having started the renovation about 30 years ago. Hopefully we will be able to continue. Hopefully the residents will see the park as what it is, parkland, deserving the same respect as any other parkland, and treat it as such.